Second Chance Mate, Second Chance Life

Chapter One

Elizabeth's POV

Have you ever felt completely worthless?

Unloved? Replaced?

Heartbroken beyond repair?

That's been my life for the last six months. That's it. Just six months- and it all started when she came into the pack.

Allie.

My mate's mistress.

She was beautiful, of course, being a werewolf. Long, silky chestnut hair and blue eyes as deep as the ocean with natural ruby lips that were usually curved into a sweet smile. The only times she wasn't smiling was when it was just me and her. I was the only one who got to see the ugly sneers, the smug twist of her lips, the vicious grins. Always, she was telling me the same thing without actually saying it: I've won.

It was those other times, when she was sweetness itself, that had my mate, Alpha Liam, wrapped around her little finger. In his eyes, she could do no wrong. He defended her like he used to defend me. He doted on her as if it was a great honor to do so. And when they started sleeping together, I knew I'd lost him for good. But it wasn't until tonight that Allie could claim him, officially, all to herself. Because I could feel my life slipping away more and more each second, with every heavy blink, with every gasping breath. And there was Allie, standing above me, her eyes as cold as ice, her red silk dress as dark as the blood spilling from me.

Not two minutes ago, I'd felt her claws tear into me, slitting my throat easily and deeply. My own hands had instinctively raised to the wound while my legs gave out. Now, I lay staring up at her in a pool of blood. Not far in the distance, the sounds of laughter and music drifted through the air. Liam had gone all out on Allie's birthday party. Never mind that my birthday was in a week.

"Aren't we a little old to be complaining about birthday parties? What are you, five?" He'd sneered the words at me yesterday after I'd learned he hadn't planned anything for me. Not that it mattered now. I wouldn't live to see another day.

I listened as my mate's laugh rang through the trees. He was having the time of his life while I was here, bleeding out on the forest floor. Tears filled my eyes, but they weren't for him, or even for the fact that I'd lost him. He had become a monster, someone unworthy and undeserving of my love. I cried for myself, for all the things I would never get to experience. Seeing the world, achieving my dreams, becoming a mother someday. . .

Allie crouched down, her hair falling over her shoulder. My eyes followed her, taking in that signature grin.

"This is your own fault, you know. If you had left when Liam first chose me, I might have let you live. But you just couldn't let go, could you? Even after he could no longer stand to look at you." She scoffed. "I have to admit, it was amusing to watch you continue to throw yourself at him. But that's all over now."

She flashed her teeth. I choked on a bubble of blood, wanting nothing more than to spit it in her face.

"Well, I guess we should get on with it." She clapped her hands. Then she pulled a small vial from her bosom. It held a dark purple liquid, but it wasn't a pretty color. It moved like slime, thick and putrid. I could do nothing but watch as she uncapped it and downed the whole thing in one go. Her lovely face twisted and then drained to bone-white. She stumbled a little bit as she stood and walked to a nearby tree, bent, and reappeared with two wine glasses. The sound of shattering glass grated against my nerves as she threw them to the ground, screaming hysterically.

Yet the most shocking thing was seeing her produce a dagger- my dagger!- and plunging it into her chest.

She really had no limits.

Footsteps pounded the earth. I closed my eyes, willing death to come faster. I didn't want to see this, because I knew exactly how it would turn out.

Let me die. . . please, just let me die. . .

"What the f**k happened?!"

If I could have sighed, I would have. Instead, I simply blinked open my tired eyes, finding Liam instantly. He was looking from me to Allie, his lips parted in horror, eyes wide.

"Oh, Liam!" Allie wobbled on he feet. "Please, help!"

He caught her as she fell, cradling her against his chest. His eyes narrowed into slits as he looked her over.

"I. . . I came to see why Elizabeth left the party," Allie sobbed. "I offered a drink, and invited her to come back. But she must have put something in my drink. . . it hurts so much. Then she. . . she. . . stabbed me."

"What?" His question was a scream of rage.

"I- I had to defend myself. I had to. But if we hurry, we might be able to save Elizabeth." She turned to me, regret and anguish painted on her face.

Liam looked between the two of us for barely a moment before his features hardened. "You can't be serious, Allie. She tried to kill you! And there are serious consequences in the Black Forest Pack for this kind of crime."

"But she's. . . she's your mate," Allie cried pathetically.

He looked at me now. "I never wanted a weak human for a mate."

Even though I'd been expecting it, his words still hurt. Please let it end now, I prayed.

Liam leaned down, his face disappearing for a second. When he straightened, blood stained his lips. He spat on the ground.

"Wolfsbane," he snarled.

He handed Allie off to his Beta, Chris, then strode over to tower above me. The edges of my vision were dark, tunneling, and the world sounded further and further away. But I still heard each word he hurled at me.

"As Alpha, I hereby find you guilty of attempted murder and sentence you to death."

The tears came more freely now, sliding down my cold cheek to drop into the blood below. She's lying to you! I wanted to scream. How can you believe her so easily?! How could you choose her over me?! Wolfsbane was nearly impossible to come by, yet he truly believed that somehow I had aquired it just to poison Allie. Unbelievable.

"I, Alpha Liam Cole, reject you, Elizabeth Ashwood, as my mate and Luna."

Everything went black as our bond broke. The darkness swallowed me whole, like a blanket that was too heavy being flung over me.

Finally, was my last thought.